


Am I...?

by lukesandleias



Category: NCIS
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Road Trips, Slash, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 18:52:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9338435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lukesandleias/pseuds/lukesandleias
Summary: Tony and Tim are assigned to take a trip to Los Angeles. Little do they know that Gibbs has set them up for the ride of their lives.Songfic including the Rolling Stones' "Beast Of Burden."





	1. Put Me Out

**Author's Note:**

> I just really love McNozzo a lot and wanted to write a piece about them. I hope you enjoy! Not set in any particular time, but it is during the period when Ziva is with NCIS.
> 
> This is my first 'short' work, so please be forgiving if I leave out any details, or if I go on too much. Constructive criticism, comments, kudos, advice, etc. is always appreciated!! :)
> 
> COMPLETED 1/15/2017.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Tim get an assignment.

"DiNozzo! McGee! MTAC, now!” Gibbs yelled from the top of the stairs. Tony and Tim looked up towards their boss and then stood up at attention. It had been a slow day at NCIS; the boys were happy to be given a task to keep them occupied.

They began walking up the stairs together. Somehow, their footsteps fell into rhythm with one another’s. Left, right, left, right; always in sync. Maybe it was a product of working together for years, and knowing so much about each other.

“I wonder what the boss wants,” McGee pondered.

“Well, we’ll find out soon enough, McCurious,” Tony teased. Tim shot him a sideways glance, but he smiled through it despite his annoyance.

They entered MTAC. Gibbs was waiting for them in the middle of the room with Director Vance. Much to Tim and Tony’s surprise, some of the Los Angeles agents were there to greet them all from the screen.

“Hey there, McGee. DiNozzo,” Callen said. Hanna stood next to him; he waved to acknowledge Tony and Tim’s arrival. The two DC agents nodded in return.

“Callen and Hanna called me to let me know that they could use some help over in LA,” Vance piped in. “Their caseload is pretty heavy right now, and they simply don’t have as many agents as we do.”

“And I decided that it would be a good idea to send you two,” Gibbs added.

Tim and Tony looked at each other, a bit puzzled. “But boss,” Tony said, “what if our team gets swamped?”

“I don’t anticipate that being an issue,” Gibbs replied. “Ziva and I can handle ourselves. And like I said…” He eyed his two agents hard enough to instill fear in both of them. “We have more agents here than LA does. We’ll be covered if something comes up.”

“That’s right,” Vance added. “But LA is not covered, and something has come up. A lot of things have, actually. They need the help of some experienced agents.”

Hanna spoke for the first time since Tony and Tim entered MTAC. “And besides,” he said lightheartedly, “Why wouldn’t you want to come spend some quality time with us?” He pointed at himself, and then at Callen.

Tim and Tony looked at each other again, and realized it was not worth protesting. They had admitted to each other that things had been pretty dull in DC lately, and besides: why pass up the chance to visit sunny California?

“Alright,” Tony said after a silent moment of contemplation with McGee. “We’ll do it. When does our flight leave?”

Gibbs chuckled to himself. Even Vance’s mouth curled into a small smile.

“What?” Tim asked. He and DiNozzo looked at each other, even more confused than before.

“You won’t be flying,” Gibbs said, grinning. “You’ll be driving, courtesy of NCIS, of course.”

“Oh no, boss--” Tony began.

“Is that really--” Tim added.

“Oh yes, we’ve already arranged for your vehicle. You’ll be leaving tomorrow morning,” Vance said, still smiling mischievously. 

Tony rolled his eyes in McGee’s direction, and then looked at Gibbs as dread filled his eyes. “But boss, why? I don’t think I’ll be able to survive a 40 hour or more trip with--”

“I’ve made up my mind,” said Gibbs as he began towards the door. “I think the long trip will force you to bond. It will make our team stronger.” He looked back at the boys. “It will make your relationship stronger.”

Tony and Tim stood looking up at their boss as he exited the room. The only way to describe their shared expression was ‘disgust.’

Vance turned back towards the screen and nodded at the two LA agents. “They’ll be there at the end of the week.”

“Alright, thank you director,” Callen said. 

“Goodbye,” Hanna added.

DiNozzo and McGee looked back towards the screen as Callen and Hanna signed off, and then at each other. Vance dismissed them and they headed out towards the squad room.

As soon as they hit the squad room floor, Tony stopped McGee in his tracks. DiNozzo shoved his finger towards the younger man’s face.

“You better be on your best behavior on this trip, McNerd. It’s bad enough that I have to spend three days with you on the road; I don’t want to hear you going on and on about all your nerd stuff.”

Tim seemed unphased, confident even. He smirked and replied, “Right back at you, Tony.”


	2. Out of Misery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team contemplates the coming trip.

When Tony got back to his apartment that night, he drank a few beers in hopes that they would make him sleepy. But when he got into bed, he couldn’t even close his eyes.

His mind was reeling at the idea of a multi-day trip with Timothy McGee. Few people at NCIS had realized, but Tony had become rather fond of the younger man. The first day they met out in Norfolk, he became captivated by McGee’s intelligence. It wasn’t always obvious, but Tim was actually a really smart guy. Despite his probie mistakes and occasional lack of social awareness, Tim had the makings of really good agent.

Tony had accepted Tim as one of his best friends a long time ago. Their work together in the field had turned into the occasional drink after work, and that had turned into weekly movie nights and pizza at one of their apartments. But as they became closer, Tony began to feel a connection with McGee that had to be more than friendship. The amount of times that he had wanted to pull Timothy closer to him during a movie or hold his hand during dinner had become too many to count. But Tony rarely, if ever, vocalized how he thought of Tim as a friend; how could he possibly bring himself to express more?

That’s why Tony always wore the ‘womanizer’ costume. He hoped that if he feigned interest in every woman that crossed his path, he would be able to shove his recently discovered bisexuality deep down inside. He also hoped that by faking attraction to women, his attraction to a certain fellow agent would simply fade away.

At around 2 AM, DiNozzo managed to fall asleep. His body had finally decided that he needed some energy for the long journey tomorrow.

\--NCIS--

McGee had resigned himself to a sleepless night before he even left the Navy yard. He, Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva had all parted ways after work, and Tim headed to the only place he thought he might find solace: a gay bar he frequented downtown.

Tim had ‘come out’ as gay a long time ago, but he never brought it up at work. He was more of a “don’t ask, don’t tell” kind of guy. Besides, his social life was none of his coworkers’ business. Not to mention Tony would probably hound him relentlessly if he found out he was gay.

So McGee walked in and settled down at the bar. His favorite bartender, Harry, came over and struck up a conversation. 

“What’ll it be tonight, Timmy?” he asked as he dried off a glass.

“The usual, Harry,” he said as he put his head in his hands. “No need to change it up tonight.”

Harry made up a diluted bourbon and slid it across the bar towards McGee. “What’s got you down tonight?” he asked the agent. “Trouble at work?”

“Oh, no trouble,” Tim replied after taking a lengthy sip of his drink. “It’s actually a good thing. I should be happy.” 

“Well then turn that frown upside down!” the bartender cheered. “Not many people can say that their jobs make them happy. For example, those instances are very few and far between for me.”

McGee cracked a smile. “I hope I’m not one of the ones who makes you miserable,” he told Harry. “I was in your shoes once, back in college. Bartending is hard. I hope I’m one of the nice ones.”

“Of course, Timmy,” he said lightheartedly. “You’re one in a million. Now tell me what’s going on. And I mean that as your friend, not just as your bartender.”

“Well,” he began. “I got this assignment. I’m headed out to California to work there for a while. You know, that office needed some extra help. And my partner got assigned to go with me. And to top it all off, we’re  _ driving _ to California because our boss wants us to ‘bond.’”

Harry laughed. “Say no more, Timmy boy, I see exactly where you’re coming from. This is the coworker you’ve had the hots for for a while, and now you have spend multiple days travelling with him. And you have no idea--”

“How I’m supposed to handle myself for that long,” McGee finished. “Exactly. I’ve never been around him for that long a period of time before. You know, we hang out after work and stuff, and even then it’s unbearable to hide my feelings towards him. How am I supposed to keep my feelings under wraps for three days?”

Harry thought for a moment. “Well, have you ever considered just telling him and getting things out into the open? You never know what could happen.”

“He’s straight, Harry, and that’s that. Telling him would only cause problems at work.”

The bartender shrugged. “Suit yourself,” he said and walked towards another patron at the bar.

Tim finished his drink and left enough money to pay for it and tip Harry a little extra. He walked the rest of the way back to his apartment, packed his suitcase, and sat half-asleep in his armchair for the rest of the night.

\--NCIS--

Gibbs was down in his basement working on his boat when the clock struck midnight. He didn’t sleep much, no matter what the occasion or lack thereof. Tonight, he was contemplating the trip he had set up for DiNozzo and McGee.

The boys were two of NCIS’ best agents. They were two very important components of Gibbs’ team, along with Ziva. They each had their own strengths: Gibbs had leadership, McGee had brains, Ziva had brawn, and DiNozzo had charm. But there was one thing between two members of his team that was causing a weak spot: a lack of honesty.

Gibbs could see it from a mile away, and he was sure that Ziva could too: there was some unspoken thing between McGee and DiNozzo. After a few months of working together, they had begun to hang out outside of work. He could see a bond forming between them, and after a while it was clear that there was tension. He didn’t think they could sense it from one another, but there was definitely something more than friendship there. Gibbs could tell by the way McGee looked up to his SFA, and by how DiNozzo grinned when he teased ‘his’ probie.

Gibbs hoped that by sticking the two agents in a car together for days on end, they would somehow act on their feelings for each other and deal with it in whatever way they chose. He wanted the weak link in his team gone, but he also wanted his boys to be happy. And if that involved breaking Rule 12, oh well. Gibbs wasn’t stupid. He knew they could be good for each other.

Gibbs smiled and shook his head as he thought about his doings. Things would work out between DiNozzo and McGee. There was no question about that.


	3. Music on the Radio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> McGee and DiNozzo hit the road.

Tony and Tim arrived at NCIS early the next morning, and they were both exhausted from their lack of sleep. Gibbs, Director Vance, and their car were waiting for them.

The two agents threw their luggage in the trunk of the black sedan, and then went to shake their bosses’ hands.

“Have a safe trip,” Vance said. “And let us know when you get to LA.”

“We’ve set up a hotel for you tonight in Missouri, and tomorrow night in Texas. Here’s the information,” Gibbs added as he handed DiNozzo a piece of paper.

“Alright boss,” Tony replied. “We’ll keep you updated.”

Gibbs nodded, and he and Director Vance walked into NCIS.

Tony looked towards Tim. “Jeez, probie. It looks like you barely slept.”

“I didn’t,” McGee groaned. “I was half-asleep in my chair all night.”

“Copy that, McInsomnia,” Tony said. “I’ll drive first. But I didn’t sleep well either, so we might need to take a break somewhere soon.”

“Alright,” Tim said as he climbed into the passenger seat. “Let’s get this over with,” he muttered to himself.

\--NCIS--

DiNozzo and McGee were so tired that they had hit the Maryland-Pennsylvania border before they spoke to each other. Tim had been nodding off in the passenger seat. Tony had to admit that the probie was pretty cute when he slept.

As they hit rush hour traffic on the Pennsylvania side of the border and slowed to a stop, McGee stirred.

“Did you have a good sleep, McPrincess?” Tony asked sarcastically.

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Tim replied. “I feel much better. Maybe when we hit the next rest stop we can switch. You must be tired too.”

“Very generous, Probalicious. But it’ll be a while until we reach a stop. Look at this traffic!”

Tim looked out at the road ahead. Cars were lined up in front of them as far as he could see. “You got that right,” he said. He thought for a moment. “You wanna turn on the radio?”

“Sure,” Tony said as he turned on the car’s stereo. A classic rock station came through after he hit the ‘seek’ button a few times.

_I’ll never be your beast of burden_

_My back is broad, but it’s a hurting_

_All I want is for you to make love to me._

Tony’s eyes bulged out of his head a little as that last line came across the airwaves. He swallowed before he choked on his own breath. “Oh man, those Rolling Stones,” he said as nonchalantly as possible.

Tim laughed nervously. Did Tony just see the probie clench his fist in his peripheral vision? No. It was probably nothing.

“Yeah, they’re good,” Tim replied, trying to keep his cool. “Although I do prefer The Who.”

Tony snapped out of his emotional daze. “The Who? Are you freakin’ serious, McGee? I’ve been friends with someone who prefers The Who to the Rolling Stones for _how_ many years?”

“Five,” Tim retorted. Realizing what he said, he cleared his throat. “Jeez Tony, I’m entitled to my opinions and you’re entitled to yours. But regardless, I do like this song.”

Tim began to sing along:

_Am I hard enough?_

_Am I rough enough?_

_Am I rich enough?_

Tony joined in:

_I’m not too blind to see_

_I’ll never be your beast of burden_

_So let's go home and draw the curtains..._

The two agents looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes as they passionately finished up the verse:

_Music on the radio,_

_Come on baby make sweet love to me._

Tim had made eye contact with Tony on that last line, and he quickly turned his head as the blood rushed to his cheeks.

The song faded away. “You have a pretty nice voice, McMusician. Who would’ve known?” Tony mused.

Tim was humbled. Tony rarely complimented him. “Well, I took lessons for a few years in high school. I wouldn’t chalk it up to natural talent.”

“Well, Tim…” the most genuine smile McGee had ever seen crossed DiNozzo’s face. “It was good either way.”

The two agents had finally reached a rest stop. Tony quickly hid his infatuation. “Alright, probie. Let’s pull over, so you can drive and I can catch some z’s.”


	4. On the Street

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Tim begin to suspect an unspoken connection.

After Tim and Tony had switched places, the senior agent had fallen asleep almost immediately. Tim turned off the radio; he didn’t want the music to wake Tony, but he also didn’t want to arouse suspicion. After all, “Beast of Burden” had almost been too much.

DiNozzo had been out cold before he came to. “Uhhhh,” he groaned as he awoke. He sat himself up, looking disoriented.

“We’re crossing over into Ohio now,” McGee told Tony. 

“Alright,” Tony said groggily. He looked at the clock “I just slept for two hours, but I feel like I could sleep for eight more.”

“I feel you,” Tim replied sympathetically. “My nap didn’t really help either.” He looked at the clock. “Alright, it’s only 10 o’clock. We’re a little ahead of schedule despite the traffic. How about we drive for a little longer, and then we’ll find a rest stop, pull over, and both sleep for a little?”

“That sounds great, McGenius,” said Tony. “Really great.” He nodded off again, but was only half-asleep.

\--NCIS--

About an hour later, McGee decided to pull into an upcoming rest stop. His eyelids were beginning to feel heavy, and he didn’t feel safe driving for any longer. 

Tony appeared to be asleep as Tim pulled into the stop. “Tony,” Tim said as he shook the other agent awake. 

DiNozzo jerked forward his seat and sat up at full attention. Tim couldn’t help but laugh.

“I was awake, I was awake!” Tony exclaimed. After he gathered himself, he muttered “well, half-awake” more softly.

“It’s okay, Tony,” McGee said. “I just wanted to tell you that you can recline your seat back. We’re going to rest here for a while.”

“Okay,” Tony said. He unbuckled himself and pushed his seat back until it was flat. He then curled up a little on the seat and started to snooze.

Tim went and mimicked his partner’s course of action, but as he tried to fall asleep he found that the pedals and the steering wheel were very much in the way. He put his seat back up in the normal position and exited the car.

The commotion awakened Tony. “What was that?” he asked suddenly.

“It’s just me Tony,” McGee said as he entered the back driver’s side of the car. “I was too cramped up front, so I’m going to sleep back here.” Tim laid down so his head was on the passenger’s side back seat. He suddenly found his face very close to DiNozzo’s. He tried to close his eyes.

“Alright,” Tony said as he nodded off once more. “Goodnight, McDreamy.”

Tim’s eyes popped wide open and nearly out of his head.  _ McDreamy? _ That was one he hadn’t heard before. Did Tony actually just say that? No, he couldn’t have meant it like that. He must have meant something like  _ Sweet dreams, McTim,  _ or something like that. He was just too tired to express himself clearly. Right?

Despite the sudden shock, McGee slowly drifted off to sleep. That sleep next to Tony was the best the junior agent had had in months.

\--NCIS--

McGee awoke to quite the surprise. There was human contact where he wasn’t expecting: Tony had nuzzled his head into the crook of Tim’s neck, and he had grabbed Tim’s right arm as if he was snuggling a teddy bear. Tim almost thought that the senior agent would be engaged in a full-on cuddle session with him if there was room in the car.

Tim tried not to move, because he could not allow DiNozzo to wake up and find them like this. He also just wanted to savor the moment; when was the next time he would be this close to the man of his dreams? Between all of his panic, McGee began to wonder: what did this mean? It could just be some kind of involuntary reaction on Tony’s part… or it could be something more.

Despite Tim’s best efforts, Tony began to stir. In the time between sleep and full consciousness, he adjusted his head and laid it back on Tim’s shoulder. And then suddenly he was very awake. He realized what his body had done, and he sat bolt upright.

_ Oh shit,  _ Tony thought.

DiNozzo inclined his seat to the normal position as Tim exited the car and returned to the driver’s side.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?” Tony asked as his partner buckled himself in.

“It’s okay,” Tim said. “I feel really well rested.” 

McGee started the car and drove away from the rest stop. He looked at the clock. “12 o’clock,” he said. “At this rate, we’ll be at the hotel in Missouri by seven.”

“Yeah,” DiNozzo said softly. 

There was silence in the car. Neither man wanted to acknowledge what had happened. After about 15 minutes, McGee began to laugh. It started as a giggle, but it soon escalated to a full on belly-laugh.

“What?!” Tony exclaimed, but he didn’t have to ask.

Tim calmed himself down. “I never thought you could be so gentle, Tony. Such a kind touch you have. You always seem so ravenous around women. Did you think I was one of them?”

DiNozzo could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. “I-- I-- I have a heart, probie. I can show a woman that I care.” There was a pause as he tried to collect his thoughts. “And there are plenty of women who would want that from me.” Here he was, posing as the womanizer again. “And plenty of women who get it. Guess I’m just used to having one by my side, eh? Besides, when was the last time you saw that much action anyway? When was the last time you were in bed with a woman?”

Tim couldn’t help but laugh again. “Oh, trust me Tony. I can be with someone if I want to. I just don’t advertise it like  _ some  _ people. But I  _ could  _ advertise  _ for _ you when we get to LA. So many new women for you to woo. Maybe they’ll be more tempted if I tell them that you’re a gentle lover.”

McGee was trying to push Tony’s buttons, but he was also trying to read the temperature of the situation. Things were getting more interesting by the minute.

“You never speak of this to anyone,” Tony said, as he shoved his finger in Tim’s face. “ _ We  _ never speak of this again, capisce?”

“Sure, Tony,” the junior agent said sarcastically as he grabbed Tony’s arm and squeezed it. “It’ll be our little secret.”

Tony couldn’t bring himself to say any more. He turned on the radio; ads were playing. He left them on for the pure sake of distraction.

He could tell McGee was getting suspicious. He was going to have to work harder to not incriminate himself any more on the matter.

And McGee was getting suspicious indeed. Tony was hiding something, and McGee could only hope that his predictions about what were right.


	5. I'll Tell Ya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys have some confessions to make.

Just after 7 o’clock, Tony pulled the car into the hotel parking lot in St. Louis, Missouri. It wasn’t much; it was quaint, and it probably cost whatever NCIS was willing to pay, which usually wasn’t terribly much. He and Tim exited the car, got their luggage out of the trunk, and walked into the lobby.

The past seven hours had been filled with on-and-off napping, small talk, and some singing along to the radio. They had switched drivers somewhere back in Indiana. Luckily for both men, nothing volatile came on over the airwaves, and they hadn’t addressed what happened at the rest stop any further. Even so, they could both feel the tension building as they continued to skate around the topic. Instead they talked about how their families were doing, favorite restaurants, and basically anything else that seemed meaningless.

Despite their efforts to push their feelings down, neither man felt like their discussions that afternoon were meaningless. They were learning more about each other: about their families, their favorite things, what they liked to eat on a night out or a night in. Both men were learning each other’s little quirks, and both men could feel their hearts swell as they found more things to adore.

“Hi there,” DiNozzo said as he and Tim approached the reception desk. A tall, skinny blonde woman was working there. She was traditionally beautiful. Tony winked at her, and she giggled. McGee rolled his eyes. “We have a reservation for tonight.” He pulled out the piece of paper Gibbs had given him back at NCIS. He read the reservation number to the receptionist, and she handed over a key.

“Room 312,” she told Tony. “Enjoy your stay.”

“Oh, we will,” Tony replied seductively. He made sure not to leave the lobby without another wink in the receptionist’s direction.

They entered the elevator. “See probie? DiNozzo has plenty of experience with the ladies.” He gritted his teeth at his own words.

They reached the third floor and found room 312. DiNozzo unlocked the front door and strode in. “Not bad,” he said.

“Ohhhhh!” Tim hollered. Tony turned around and saw his partner tripping over the doormat. McGee began to fall, and Tony reached out for him. Tim fell into DiNozzo’s arms like some kind of face-first trust fall.

Tony lifted his partner to his feet. He was still holding McGee’s arms as he looked him dead and the eye and asked “Are you okay?”

They locked eyes, and all at once both men’s hopes were confirmed. There was no denying the look on both of their faces: they deeply cared for one another, and would do anything to make sure the other went unharmed.

After a few seconds of staring into Tony’s eyes, Tim said, “Yeah. I’m fine.”

Tony quickly dropped his arms to his side. He felt vulnerable all of a sudden. He grabbed his suitcase and walked the rest of the way into the room.

When he saw the room, he thought: _You’ve got to be joking._

Instead of two twin beds, the room contained one double bed. The one bed was made for two people.

Tim entered the room directly behind Tony, and when he saw the bed his jaw dropped. He sighed, half in relief and half in defeat. It was becoming obvious to both men that Gibbs had set them up. Somehow he must have known about their feelings for each other, and planned this whole trip to get them to talk. Well, “bond” as Gibbs himself had said.

 _Does that mean the director knows too?_ Tony asked himself.

 _Oh god,_ Tim thought in dismay. Who else knew?

McGee decided to address the elephant in the room first. “Guess we’re sleeping together tonight, huh?” He tried to add some cheer to the situation. “Wouldn’t be the first time, at least.”

“Yeah,” Tony said quietly. “I don’t mind though.”

Tim could barely hear his partner. “What?”

Tony whipped around and locked eyes with McGee. “I said ‘I don’t mind’!”

There was a cutting silence for a few seconds.

“I think we need to talk about what happened at the rest stop,” Tony said, resigning himself.

“Yeah,” Tim said as his shoulders slouched. “Me too.”

\--NCIS--

DiNozzo was not fully prepared to have this discussion at that particular moment, but it had been a long time coming. He had rehearsed this scene a million times in his head. He sat down on the bed, and he patted the space beside him. “Come sit,” he motioned to Tim. McGee obliged.

“Alright, listen,” Tony said. “I first want to say that-- that you’re my best friend, McGee. And I don’t want that to change. No matter what.” He took Tim’s hand.

“I feel the same way,” Tim said. He gripped Tony’s hand in return.

“Okay,” DiNozzo said, “here it goes.” He took a deep breath. “I like you, Tim. I like you a lot. I don’t really know when it started. It was after we started hanging out after work and on weekends, but all of a sudden I was finding myself wanting to be closer to you. But part of me was confused. I had never really had feelings for a guy before. So I was scared. I didn’t really know how to lean into it. So I put up these walls. I continued playing this womanizer, hoping that you would be thrown off, because I didn’t want to mess up our friendship. But the truth is, McGee--” He looked up and saw his partner wearing a gentle smile. He couldn’t help but smile in return. “There hasn’t been a woman lately. Not for a long while, because I was emotionally attached to you. It’s you Tim, and I feel like it’s always been you. When I started feeling this way it felt like everything before this wasn’t real, that this was the only thing I’ve ever wanted or will ever need. Because you’re it for me, Tim. You’re it.”

There was a long silence. Tony felt horrible for spilling this all onto his partner. Tim wasn’t saying anything, so Tony tried to save himself.

“And I’m really sorry McGee, if this is freaking you out. I know you’re straight, and that this probably has no chance of working out, but I just really feel like you need to know that--”

“Shut up.”

“What?” Tony asked, confused. He was kind of in the middle of declaring his love.

“Just shut up, Tony,” McGee said. He leaned in a kissed Tony on the lips.

The kiss came as a shock to both of them, but after a while they settled into it. It was passionate, but it only lasted a few seconds. Tim pulled away from his partner, and both men started cracking up. They pushed their foreheads together and just sat there laughing for a few minutes. Their hands were still intertwined.

As far as first kisses go, it was a pretty great one.

\--NCIS--

After they managed to stop laughing, Tim collected himself and prepared to say his bit.

“Tony,” he began, “I am not freaked out. Tony, I’m gay. I’ve known I was gay since college. I just don’t bring it up at work. I didn’t think it was anyone’s business. And I figured I would never hear the end of it if you found out.” DiNozzo started laughing. “Yeah, that’s a good one, huh?

“So yeah, I’m gay. Glad we addressed that one.” Tim drew a check mark in the air in front of him. “And I feel the same way, Tony. I guess I couldn’t resist the DiNozzo charm.” He chuckled. “And I feel a real connection with you, unlike anything I’ve ever had with anyone else. I love getting closer to you and finding out more about you. I want to learn everything there is to know about Tony DiNozzo. I want to be by your side as your partner, and as, well, your… partner. In the job sense and the romantic sense. You mean so much to me. You’re my best friend, but you’re so much more than that. You really are a partner to me. That’s-- that’s what I want. To be your partner.”

“I want that too,” Tony jumped in. “But what about Gibbs? And rule 12?”

“Really, Tony? You’re worried about _Gibbs_ right now? You know he put us up to this right? I mean really Tony, look around.”

“I know, McGoof,” Tony groaned with a newly open adoration. “But he’s still our boss and he still calls the shots.”

Tim sighed. “I know. Listen, we don’t have to make up our minds about this right now.” He looked at the clock; it read 9:30 PM. “It’s been a really long day, and we need to get back on the road early tomorrow morning. What do you say we go to bed?”

“I think that’s a good idea,” DiNozzo replied.

After what seemed like forever, they finally let go of each other’s hands. Both men suddenly felt a longing during the absence of the other’s touch. Tony headed over to his suitcase; he pulled off his shirt and replaced his trousers with sweatpants, and he threw the used clothes back into the suitcase. Tim stripped down to his boxers and threw the rest of his clothes in a pile on the floor.

McGee and DiNozzo climbed into bed at the same time. They laid down next to each other. Tony put one arm under Tim’s head, and Tim wrapped his arm around Tony’s stomach. They just stayed like that for a few seconds, merely enjoying being so close at last.

“Goodnight, McCutie,” Tony said. He gave Tim a kiss on the forehead.

“Goodnight, Tony.”

Tim fell asleep rather quickly, but DiNozzo remained awake. He picked up his cell phone from his bedside table. He used his free hand to text.

**Hey boss. Made it to Missouri. We got the message. Rule 12?**

After a few minutes, Tony’s phone vibrated on receiving a response.

**Good and good. Don’t worry about it. Sleep well.**

His phone pinged once more as Gibbs added:

**Together.**

Tony smiled and put down his phone. He snuggled a little closer to his probie, his _partner_ , and fell asleep.


	6. Your Kind of Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Tim make a commitment.

It didn’t seem like long before the boys were shattered awake by their 6:00 AM alarm. They got up, McGee took a shower, and they both changed into fresh clothes. There was barely a moment for them to talk before they were checked out and on the road again. Tony agreed to drive first, so he climbed into the driver’s side. Tim got into the passenger side.

McGee was the first to bring up the events of the night before. “Listen, about last night…”

“Tim, I was fully aware of what I was saying, and I meant every word.” Tony reached out for the younger agent with his right hand, keeping his left hand on the wheel. Tim took it. “I really do care for you. And… I want to be with you.”

Tim grinned from ear to ear. “Really?”

“Yeah. Screw what Gibbs thinks. Well, don’t really screw it. We don’t have to screw it because he’s in favor.”

McGee looked puzzled. “What do you mean he’s in favor? How does he know?”

Almost on cue, the car phone rang. The caller ID read nothing other than _Gibbs_. Tony answered using a command on the steering wheel.

“Yeah boss,” the senior agent said.

“Oh good, you boys are on the road already,” Gibbs said through the phone. “How was the first day of the trip?”

“Uh, it was good boss. Great.” Tim said reluctantly.

Gibbs laughed and laughed. “Good, McGee. I’m glad. Everything is taken care of here. And I’ve heard that everything is taken care of on your front?”

“Yes, boss,” DiNozzo said as he squeezed Tim’s hand. “Everything is great. I just told the probie here that I’d go for it.”

There was a short pause. “And what did you say, McGee?”

Tim looked at his senior agent, puzzled, but he got the hint. “Uh, yeah boss. I said yes. I think it’ll be good for both of us.”

“Seconded, boss,” Tony chimed in.

“Good, because I agree. Didn’t want any missing links in my team. Alright, go concentrate on the road. Let me know when you reach your next hotel in Texas.” Gibbs said his goodbyes and hung up the phone.

After a moment of quiet hand holding, McGee spoke. “I’m assuming you told him last night?”

“Yeah, I did. While you were asleep.”

“And he was okay with it?”

Tony glanced at Tim. For some reason, he seemed more handsome to DiNozzo now that he ever had before. “Yeah, he was okay with it.”

Another quick silence. Tim squeezed Tony’s hand. “So… partners?”

DiNozzo let out a laugh. “You got it, McPartner. Now and always.”

They didn’t say much for the rest of the day; they didn’t need to. The partners switched places a few times along their route, and they spent most of the trip to Texas listening to the radio and singing along. Tony loved listening to McGee’s sweet voice, and Tim enjoyed it when DiNozzo got a little too into a certain song.

Somewhere in Oklahoma, they picked up a classic rock station:

_I’ll never be your beast of burden…_

\--NCIS--

Unlike most nights, Gibbs slept well that night knowing his team was complete and that his agents were happy. Despite his meddling, he had done some good.

The only difficulty he found sleeping was when he began to ponder the question: How are DiNozzo and McGee going to decide who gets to ask their boss to be best man?


End file.
